Pay Rates Reference

What linemen actually get paid.

Real wage sheets from real locals. Pulled from official IBEW, NECA, and provincial sources — not scraped from salary aggregators that confuse fiber techs with journeymen. Each rate links to its source and shows the date we verified it.

Reference only. Wage agreements step up mid-contract. Always confirm the current rate with your local's dispatcher before negotiating or accepting work. Found a stale number? Hit the report button on any rate.

The hourly rate is only part of it

Pay components

Most aggregators quote base wage and call it a day. Real lineman comp has 6–10 components — here's how to read a wage sheet.

Base Wage

What hits your check before deductions

Hourly gross wage on your paystub. This is the number most aggregator sites quote, but it's only part of what you actually earn.

Health & Welfare (LINECO)

Employer-paid health benefits

Your employer pays a separate hourly amount into the multi-employer health plan. Outside line work in the US uses LINECO. In Canada, locals run their own plans through CLRA or similar.

Pension (NEBF / NEAP)

Retirement contributions

NEBF (National Electrical Benefit Fund) is typically 3% of base wage. NEAP (National Electrical Annuity Plan) is a negotiated dollar amount per hour. Both are employer-paid on top of your base wage.

HRA

Health Reimbursement Account

Per-hour employer contribution to a personal HRA. Used for medical expenses your insurance doesn't cover.

Subsistence / Per Diem

Daily allowance for travelers

Paid per day worked away from home. Ranges from $50/day on low-cost agreements to $150+/day in high-cost or remote regions. Almost always separate from your hourly rate.

Travel Pay & Mileage

Drive time and km/mileage

Canadian agreements typically pay $0.55–$0.75 per km. US agreements vary. Some pay portal-to-portal travel time at the regular hourly rate.

Show-Up Pay

Guaranteed minimum if sent home

If you show up to the dispatch and they send you home before the shift starts, the agreement guarantees a minimum (often 2–4 hours pay).

Overtime & Double Time

OT, weekends, holidays

Overtime triggers vary by agreement: typically after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week. Double time usually applies after a set number of OT hours, on Sundays, or on holidays. Storm work commonly pays double time from the call-out.

Foreman / GF Premiums

Percentage above JL rate

Sub-Foreman and Foreman are typically 110% of JL rate. General Foreman is typically 115–120% of JL. Specialty premiums (helicopter, hot-line, powderman) are negotiated separately.

The progression

Classifications

The standard outside-line ladder. Every classification is priced as a percentage of the JL rate.

Groundman / Material Handler

~50–60% of JL

Entry-level. Builds and breaks down equipment on the ground, hauls material, supports the bucket and pole crews.

Apprentice Lineman

60% → 90% of JL

Typically 7 steps over ~7,000 hours (3.5 years). Each step is a percentage of JL: 60% / 65% / 70% / 75% / 80% / 85% / 90%. Mix of OJT and classroom.

Journeyman Lineman (JL)

100% — the benchmark

Topped-out lineman. Climbs, works energized, leads crew tasks. The JL rate is what every other classification ladders against.

Cable Splicer

Equal to or above JL

Specialty classification. Some agreements pay equal to JL, others add a premium. Underground work, splicing, terminations.

Equipment Operator

~80–90% of JL

Bucket trucks, diggers, cranes. Some agreements have multiple operator tiers (Truck Driver / Equipment Operator / Operator-In-Training).

Sub-Foreman / Foreman

110% of JL

Crew lead. Runs the day, signs off on safety, points to the work.

General Foreman

115–120% of JL

Runs multiple crews on a job. Often the bridge between the contractor's super and the linemen.

Specialty (Heli, Hot-line, Powderman)

Premium above JL

Helicopter line work, live-line bare-hand work, and blasting all carry significant premiums or are covered by separate addenda. Rates can run 25–50% above standard JL.

Three different worlds

Outside Construction vs Utility Employee vs Public Work

These get blurred together in salary aggregators. They shouldn't be.

Outside Construction

Travelers, contract crews, storm hands.

NECA-IBEW master agreements between line contractors and IBEW locals. This is what most travelers and storm crews work under. Rates published as wage sheets per local. LINECO covers health.

Example: IBEW 309, IBEW 1245 outside, IBEW 611, IBEW 1249.

Utility Employee

Direct hires at utilities like BC Hydro, PG&E, Hydro One.

Negotiated separately between the utility and its representing union. These are often longer-tenure positions with different benefits and pension structures than outside line work.

Example: IBEW 258 BC Hydro, IBEW 1245 PG&E Physical, PWU at Hydro One, IBEW 1837 Eversource.

Public Work / Prevailing Wage

Federal/state-funded projects with mandatory wage floors.

On US federally-funded projects, Davis-Bacon prevailing wage applies. NY State and CA DIR publish their own schedules. Quebec's CCQ sets construction wages by provincial decree.

Sources: SAM.gov wage determinations, NY DOL, CA DIR, CCQ.

Verified from primary sources